Lake Allatoona Fishing Report October 2013

Allatoona: Level: Full pool. Temp: 79 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament fisherman Matt Driver reports, “Fishing this month is great. With the winter drawdown and decreasing water temps, the bass are in full feed-up mode. This is not the time of year to sit around. It’s time to drop the trolling motor, and fish for active fish. The Spro Fat John fished in 3 to 5 feet of water in creeks in the north and mid-lake areas have been producing spots and some largemouth. Keep a pair of polarized glasses on, and watch for stumps, logs and rocks that the bass might use for an ambush point. There is also some schooling activity around Stamp and the Red Top areas. We are using pearl-white Big Bite Jerk Minnows on 3/0, 1/8-oz. jig heads, as well as Spro McSticks. The fish may only stay up for a few seconds, so make your cast count. The buzzbait bite is also good. Throw the buzzbait parallel to bluff banks. Bang the bait off the rocks when it’s being retrieved. The bass will use the shoreline to trap the bait. For bigger fish, even though you may get a few less bites, the swimbait is hard to beat. Throwing the fast-sinking Spro 6-inch BBZ in shad patterns and covering water is an awesome way to get a big spot this time of year. Remember the big Children’s Healthcare (Fishing for a Mission) tournament out of Gatewood on Oct. 6.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson reports, “Linesides are hit or miss as of late. Some mornings the fish are busting topwater and can be caught on almost anything. Then there are days you can ride to whole lake and not mark one school of fish on your Lowrance. There are two bites going on right now. There is a decent live-bait bait in or near the river channel at the Delta over to Sweetwater Creek and in the river channel out of the mouth of Little River. These fish are feeding on very small baits. Small- to medium-sized threadfins and shiners are working best right now on the north end of the lake. There is also a topwater bite going on most mornings during the week within eyesight of the dam. When these fish are up, they will hit just about everything. I still prefer a popping cork with a popping fly. After these fish go down, try trolling a Capt. Mack Farr three-arm umbrella rig in all white. I am having my best luck pulling my rigs 50 feet behind the boat minutes after the fish go down. This time of year is tough on Allatoona. This is the main reason I spend so much time on Carters Lake in the fall. Allatoona isn’t and never has been a good fall lake. If you are planning on chasing linesides this month, think hard about making a road trip over to Carters or Lanier. The fish are bigger and a lot more active.”